Cr Bill Moar, Acting Mayor
Flood response arrangements
I AM aware that it has been a very difficult couple of weeks for residents in our municipality and I congratulate you for showing common sense and resilience, once again.
The footage that we are seeing of the loss and the heartbreak right across our state is devastating.
Our thoughts are with all of those currently suffering loss from flooding events and those worse off than us in other municipalities.
Often during times of emergencies and in flood response, it can be confusing to work out exactly who does what.
Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) is the control agency for all flooding events in Victoria, which means that they are responsible for planning for floods, supporting community preparedness and managing flood response, if they do occur.
Our role is to provide support and coordinate the relief efforts. A relief centre was setup and open in Swan Hill from Tuesday to support residents from Gannawarra that may have chosen to evacuate, due to likely isolation of the township.
At the time of writing this column, it is expected that moderate flooding will occur in our municipality within approximately two weeks.
I would like to send my thanks to council staff members who have gone above and beyond during this time, along with local VICSES teams and other support services – in order to keep our towns safe.
Useful resources:
• For flooding emergencies, please contact VICSES on 132500.
• Monitor road closures and conditions at: traffic.vicroads.vic.gov.au
• VicEmergency: emergency.vic.gov.au/respond
• Sandbagging information: www.ses.vic.gov.au/plan-and-stay-safe/sandbag-guide
• Emergency payments for those forced to evacuate or impacted by flooding: emergencypayments.dffh.vic.gov.au
• Tune in to ABC Local Radio, commercial and designated community radio stations, or Sky News TV
We say this time and time again, but I cannot stipulate this enough – please avoid driving vehicles through floodwaters.
It is not only incredibly dangerous, but it further compromises our roads.
Road closure signs are put in place for your safety. You are also protecting our roads, so that when the water passes, we can safely use them again.
Free green waste weekend in November
COUNCIL will be offering free green waste disposal at Swan Hill landfill on November 5 and November 6, and at the Robinvale landfill on November 6, weather and conditions permitting.
I encourage residents to take advantage of the free green waste disposal weekend – it is perfect for excess organic garden matter, like grass clippings, branches, garden pruning, leaves, weeds and hedge trimmings.
Coffee with a Councillor
OUR Coffee with a Councillor sessions are an opportunity for the community to discuss ideas, issues or concerns relating to council services.
We are looking forward to catching up with residents at one of our sessions.
Upcoming sessions:
• November 12 (9am-11am) - Lake Boga Cafe & Newsagency
• December 4 (9am-12noon) - Swan Hill Farmers Market
• December 9 (5pm-9pm) - Robinvale Euston Rotary Country Market
